Community Inclusion Standard Best Practice Guide

Step 8: Sustaining Community Relationships

Projects should consider how community benefit can be maximised through the project life from project conception, ensuring community needs are reflected at all stages. Long-term and lasting relationships should be developed with the community, making use of trusted, existing structures.

Step 8: Sustaining Community Relationships
Photo by Luwadlin Bosman / Unsplash

Plan for longevity and lasting community relationships

Projects should consider how community benefit and social impact can be maximised through the project’s life from project conception, ensuring community needs are reflected at all stages. Long-term and lasting relationships should be developed with the community, making use of trusted, existing structures.
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Projects and communities should share knowledge and learning regularly to ensure alignment between needs and priorities. Projects should be transparent regarding outputs, outcomes and expected timelines. 

Questions for Project Leads

  • How will community needs be prioritised throughout the project?
  • What outputs can the community expect in the short-term?
  • What outputs can the community expect in the long-term?
  • How will learning be shared between stakeholder groups?

Useful Resources

Suggested Actions

  • Assign staff time to sourcing follow-up funding from inception. Utilising existing funding and capacity.
  • Identify where local advisors/consultants are available to help communities and investors build connections. Sometimes it can be beneficial to bring a neutral, third party in to provide expertise and advice that doesn't have a local connection to, or a direct vested interest in, the project.
  • Where project teams are likely to change, plan for continuity for the community.

Example Evidencing Measures

  • Networking opportunities to support connections
  • Staff time given to future-proofing
  • Continuation measures if staff team changes were made 

Community Inclusion Standard Best Practice Guide by Nature Finance Certification Alliance is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

community inclusion standard best practice guide

Now embed evaluation, learning and impact

Go to Step 9

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